Time Loops.

Ever have the feeling something has happened before? Maybe 54 times? Ever get the urge to throw on some Bee Gees and dance the night away … only to be interrupted by a fish? Yeah, neither have we. But it did happen to the crew of the USS Discovery—again and again—and to stay alive they had to con a con man.

In this episode of Notes from The Edge, in which we deep-dive into connections between Star Trek: Discovery and the broader Star Trek universe, host C Bryan Jones shares his thoughts on “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”—particularly how it compares to “Cause and Effect” and other past time loop stories—and explores the music of the episode and previous instances of popular tunes in Star Trek.

Captain Lorca. We discuss this unique Star Trek captain, his command style, ulterior motives, and relationships with Cornwell and Burnham. We also consider how our view changed after learning he is from the Mirror Universe.

Ash Tyler. We discuss one of the most intriguing characters from Discovery’s first season, how those with mental disorders are seen by society, and whether they should be held responsible for actions carried out under a different personality.

Star Trek: Discovery Annual 2018. We’re joined by Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson of Literary Treks and Patrick Devlin of Warp Five to talk about the new comic that explores the origin of the mycelial network.

Themes. We discuss being caught between two worlds, conservation, fate vs. self-destiny, and the needs of the many vs. the needs of the few-or the one-and how we see all of these in our personal lives.